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Hi! Bummer about the internet connection, I feel that pain!!!
He is doing really well with the decel exercises.
On the first couple where you were relatively close to the wing, he was pretty perfect. Good job with then adding in a bit more challenge! When you did a shoulder turn at :27, the wing was right there, so I think he was fine to commit to it. And good balance with the go!
He had an error on the bigger challenge right after that, but it was a combo of he had just gotten the toy on acceleration and then you could have been one stride sooner on the decel. You were sooner on the next rep and he was perfect. At :57, great decel, just add a little more connection – he wasn’t sure which side to be on for a few strides so was drifting behind you 🙂You can add challenge to this by replacing the toy with a tunnel 🙂 Acceleration and a tunnel verbal mean, well, tunnel 🙂 And you can do the decel/shoulder turn to mean NOT tunnel 🙂
Nice job!!
TracyHi!
I think the jumping on the set point and grid all looks good here. He was balanced and also powerful. About the oxer – separating by 2 inches was fine, it looked like a very clear visual. So, these grids/challenges go into the rotation to revisit maybe once a week or as a quick warm up before a sequence, while also keeping an eye on how many jumps he does per session and per week. You can also add in some motion, like leading out less and walking forward as you release. Over time, it can and should be built up to running but that is months worth of work, spreading it out.
You had been wanting to add more height to bars in sequences, so you can gradually build it in. I suggest doing it very systematically and gradually (we have tons of time now, anyway!) – bearing in mind that he has to focus on jumping while also watching handling during sequences and that is not something he has to with the grids! So – pick one spot on a sequence where you can be ahead and giving a very clear cue – and put that one single jump at 10″ for example. I prefer to start with an extension jump. Then maybe 2 jumps. Then next time, revisit and see if he is ready for more. On collection jumps, you can add one slightly higher bar in a spot where you can basically guarantee you’ll be there to help. Show him the higher bar by having him go over it a couple of times and then run the sequence. Eventually, you will be able to have all bars at full height as needed.On the wrap criteria – I think a couple of things might’ve contributed. If this was done after the set point and grid, then he had “take the jump” on his mind. And on the wrap right, a cleaner transition will help: as you took the toy away, it sounds like you said “ready” – and he said YES I AM READY and ran to the jump before you got the collection cue out LOL! So after the toy moment, take his collar, start the collection cue and then let go and see what he does 🙂 Let me know how it goes!!
Nice work here!
TracyHi there!
>>Yes her name rhymes with go and no. I didn’t really think of that when naming her. But I think she responds better to her name than my go cue, so I think I should change the go cue instead. At times I think she checks in with me no matter what I am saying, but it would be good to have more clarity.
Well, never tell her no, she is too cute, just give her whatever she wants LOL!!!!! And maybe use RUN as your extension cue on course instead of Go?
>>Also you mentioned helping with a warm up routine. I don’t have a good physical warm up routine. I just have been doing some attention exercises. What do you suggest?
When she is more adult and running courses for real, I recommend a visit with a rehab vet or PT so they can assess her needs and give you very specific things to do. It is super cool to have dog-specific stuff, I have different ones for each of my dogs based on age, build, strengths/weaknesses, etc. A general format that I think is common for ALL dogs: trotting in a circle for a couple of minutes in each direction. Slow puppy stretches, following a cookie lure – but don’t hold the stretches for a long time, just a couple of seconds. Body tricks are great too like give paw, backing up, push ups like sit-stand-down. A couple of explosive recalls (I have my dogs stand on me to get their cookies after a recall). That will take a 5 minutes or more for a warm up, which should be good!
She was a super good girlie powering through her grid! Wowza! I particularly liked the first 3 jumps. She started to lift her head and invert a little towards the end of the grid – I think she was doing it either because you were slowing down or she was slowing down for the reward, or both 🙂 It is not a problem, and we can tweak it a little – you can do this with 4 jumps to get more space so the reward is further away (I do like your improv jump, though :)) and you can lead out less (maybe to jump 3?) and release while you are walking forward – that way you are moving the whole time and she can power to the reward too. Overall, though, she looks great!!!!!
Nice job!
TracyHi! This is a fun game to keep working the understanding! She did a good job figuring out the behavior – I have some tweaks in mechanics for you to help speed things along.
For this offering game, you’re going to have an easier time if you are in front for now. Being off to the side is causing her to face you which isn’t the straight position you’re working towards. She was frustrated and barking (haven’t heard her do that!) so be sure to help her out. Eventually you can be off to the side, but that is more of a proofing thing for the finished behavior and not really a training thing.
You can also feed her a little higher to help her not lie down in position – the sweet spot is probably about 6 inches off the ground, low enough to help the targeting but high enough to discourage a down. Something to play with to find that sweet spot. If she goes into a down, no worries, keep rewarding and just change the feeding position a bit.
When she is trying to figure it out, try not to talk to her – it draws focus to you and away from the plank, plus I think she might he waiting til you help her out – that might be why the barking increased through the session and she only got into position when you cued it (by asking things like ‘what do you have to do’) . So in the spirit of letting her offer it independently because the plank is the cue, stay quiet 🙂 The plank is the cue for now, just as simply being on a dog walk is also a cue for the 2o2o position (a verbal cue is fine but I also expect the trained adult dogs to do a 2o2o on the DW no matter what, so we clarify that for them here on the plank by letting them offer without additional layers of help:))
Good progress here! Let me know what you think and keep me posted!!
TracyHe is really fun 🙂 I think he is just still a young boy – so the distractions plus heat plus thinking… it dampens the tug a little. But it will all come together as long as we keep it short and fun! I think he just doesn’t like a lot of reps on the same ol’, same ol’ unless it involves running the whole time 🙂
And yes, I am always on the quest for the Busy Bee hahaha!Yay! Glad you are enjoying! And yes, it can be paralyzing to try to do ALL the things! You can always go back and add anything as needed – who knows, the extra verbals might be important in a few years? Or not 🙂 Have fun and keep me posted!
TracyH Tricia! This was a cool video to watch, even just the 3 reps. I think he was surprised on the 1st rep – jumped in nicely on the 1st two intervals then was like WHOA THIS IS DIFFERENT haha! He pulled it off by was definitely a little “short” in his landings near the jumps. 2nd rep – he is already adjusting (challenge accepted!) and powering through differently. Rep 3: totally different! He was balanced but also powerful, working out how to handle the changes in distance. I think he is really getting into good form too – more rounded, head down, fast, balanced. Yes! Very fun to watch him sort it out! Revisit it maybe once a week in your training rotation. Nice work here!!!
Tracy
Hi! First rep did look pretty strong on this video (10″) and 2nd rep was not quite as good, probably the distraction moment that you mentioned. I suggest leaving the set point in this configuration, alternating between 8 and 10 inches over the course of several sessions (over a week or 2) then alternate 10 and 12 and see how it goes! He is moving forward so we can move forward and add challenge, slowly 🙂
Have fun!
TracyHi there! Both of these are looking good – he seems to have found a new power in his hind end and was really powering through both of them. He stayed balanced on the first progressive and might have been a little over on his front at the very end of the 2nd grid, but I am really happy with how he is pushing into the grid and powering through. Same with the 1st set point – power! This set up might be the right set up to really let him show us what he has 🙂 I will check back for the 10inch grid!
T
Hi! I love your fact sheet LOL!!
She did really well, screaming kids are a great proofing distraction!She has such quick feet in this grid – effortless and it seems like the grid and distances were no trouble. I thought she was a little “hoppy” at the end of the grid on the 1st 2 reps, meaning she was lifting her head and popping up more than jumping forward – but that smoothed out on the last 2 reps so either she found her rhythm, or the toy placement changed a little, or both – but the last 2 were really strong!! And her stay looks fabulous, which is so helpful.
Yes, go to 5 jumps when you have access to them or use the 8 inch height as the 5th jump so it has the biggest distance (should not be a problem for her). But you can do this on 4 jumps too, no problem, til we are all through the stay home order.
Nice work!!!!
Tracy
Hi Lani!
I am a BIG fan of integrating verbals, but I am an even bigger fan of prioritizing… otherwise we get paralyzed and nothing gets trained LOL!So – yes, work on threadle verbals and backside verbals… but at the moment, I don’t see a need for threadle wrap left versus threadle wrap right. You can consider threadle slice and threadle wrap as separate verbals but left versus right on these are a super low priority unless you are training for European A3 courses AND you are not able to run well enough to be somewhat in the picture, physically.
Same thing with push to the backside cues – I think a backside slice and a backside wrap are good to have – but adding left and right to those effectively doubles the training you have to do and is a very low priority.So… I am not saying “no, don’t do it” but I am also not saying “it MUST be trained” LOL! I am basically saying… make it a low priority and revisit it after everything else is trained the way you want it to be. The extra verbals can be added later if you feel you need them at any point.
Let me know if that makes sense.
TracyHi! This was pretty funny to watch, she is stealthy when food is involved, poor starving girlie haha! Sometimes, a girl just needs some snacks (and she sassed you when you wouldn’t give it to her on one of the moments LOL!)
So – try an empty food bowl? I’d normally also suggest a lower value treat in the food bowl and a higher value treat in your hand – but she might be stealthy enough to go get the low value treat and come back for the high value treat hahahaha! Love her! With the empty food bowl, you can use it as a target and toss a treat in it when she is correct. You can also put the treat in the grass and turn the food bowl over to cover it, then open it when she gets to it (correctly :)) Or a closed cookie bag. Anything that requires a bit of help from you to actually get to the cookies 🙂 I am sure she will remember the joy of decel really quickly 🙂T
hi! Yay, the rear cross is starting to look really good!!!!! You pressured into the rear cross line earlier and you can see her look at you for a heartbeat, then look ahead, change her lead (:17) and set up for the rear. So cool to see!!! Nice!!!
It brings up a question… when you say GO she looks at you – is her name pronounced MO-chi as in MOE rhymes with GO? I wonder if she is confusing the two sounds? So maybe keep the GO as the forward cue in agility and use “Chi” as her attention/name cue? Food for thought, let me know what you think. And click/treat to you both for the rear cross!
Tracy
Hi there!
I think he likes being called a nutjob, he was tugging like a fiend when you did LOL!!!
He is doing well on the left/right pinwheel – it will just take more reps to get it fully in his ears and not just following body language. He did well but this one might need to go into a rotation where he only does one or two reps, then maybe something radically different, then come back to it – he was losing steam at the end, kind of rolling his eyes at it all LOL! So keep working at it but in small bursts.The jumping grids are looking good – he is stepping in nicely and striding nicely in the first couple of intervals. He is getting inverted (head up, butt over shoulders) on the last jump but I think it was more about getting hoppy towards the reward, rather than a poor technique. You can experiment with different reward targets to keep him more head down. If the manners minder is too hoppy, you can try a ball or tug toy? But overall, really nice job on his progressive grid, reading how the distances changed!
Nice work!!
TracyHello!
I think the set point here looks a lot better! The distance and toy promote better jumping form. Next session – 8″ for a couple of reps and then maybe a couple with 10″ – still use the toy. One thing about the set up – the spider legs should be extending from the jump with the bar, as a guide for his eyes. Is there a way to set it up so they extend from the jump to create the distance and step-in? If not, you can just use a jump bump there. You can also have the actual jump be an oxer, with 2 jumps very close and the first bar low (4″ or 6″) and the 2nd bar higher (8″ or 10″).>>Is it not advisable to start trying some 10″ jumps in a sequence if he isn’t looking good with the set point jump at 10″? Now going back to 6″ not sure what the plan is.
I suggest giving it another week to hash out the mechanics before putting 10inches into a sequence. The bad news of no organized agility in the near future means the good news of we can really take our time and go slowly to get it done – great for his brain and body! Plenty of time and I know it will all come together quickly.
Decel games – this is going well!! Good boy, he is really watching! I think some of his wheelies early in the video were partially he was surprised and partially a bit of him shifting his weight back to stop quickly (good boy!) You can be earlier with your decels, which also means you can send him away to the cone from further away. Send him way away to the cone, so you are maybe 15 feet ahead as he comes around it – so you can decel as he exits the cone. On some of the reps, you were really close to the cone so the decel was a little late – he didn’t see it til he was passing you. He still stopped (like at 1:37, 1;41 and 2:00) but he ended up past you because that was the quickest he could process the cue.
And I totally feel the pain of hitting the remote by accident a million times! Someone needs to invent a third arm for agility training 🙂Progressive grid:
>>I probably committed a cardinal sin by doing the backchaining all in one session but I wanted to get it on video and then see if/how I should continue backchaining or if he’s looking okay with the 5 jumps or what.For me, it is all about the number of jumps. I think in this session, you did a total of 15 low jumps and that is fine! It would be a different story if you had backchained it then did the full grid 5 or 6 times, totally 50 jumps or something… not good. I think he did well! Based on this video and the set point, the toy on the ground seems to promote better jumping form than the treat dispenser. He was really good in form on this until the end, where he got inverted heading for the treat dispenser. So this is something to use a toy on – he seems to be past the taking-the-last-interval-as-a double-jump 🙂 So it should be fine to use a toy! Overall, he did really well reading this new grid and the distances seemed to not be a problem. You can revisit it in a couple of days with a toy, and in the same session do the regular ladder/balance grid. Then after that, a few days later, play with the bigger distances in the progressive grid and see what he does.
>>I noticed he jumps bigger over the last jump.
Yes, I think that was the inverted head lift for the treat, not poor jumping choice or struggle reading it. So a toy might be the answer here, I am sure he will tell us 🙂
>>For the last week, I will review all the feedback and also revisit things I didn’t get to add movement to like the serpentine and threadle, continue with advanced mini pinny (directionals), rear crosses, and our wrap/turn criteria wasn’t that great as I remember. If you think of anything you specifically want to see, please let me know.
Great plan! You might see that latent learning has helped smooth out some of the harder skills so you can add more motion. Have fun! Nice work here!
